Hi,

I will be picking up my puppy Dalmatian next week and just wondered how many of you took their puppies upstairs on the first few nights to aid with their anxiety and for knowing when a trip outside was needed?

Yep -always do this -  I put the crate by the bed so that I can soothe the wee babe through the night and respond promptly when they need to go out. It's the quickest , least painful way I've found of crate training and they've all moved downstairs to join the rest of the gang later on when they're a bit older - well apart from Louie who is my 'protector' when OH is on his overseas trips - oh and Lily who sleeps on the landing outside our room - ( don't know how that happened ;))
- enjoy your new pup !!!

Yvonne

If you can't have the pup upstairs in a crate then cover the crate with a blanket or similar to make it dark and cosy. Leave a radio on quietly so that it doesn't go quiet all of a sudden when you go to bed. Good Luck, enjoy your baby.:-)

I've had all my dogs with me and I'd always do it this way...I resign myself to getting up in the night to take them out to the toilet too ... :)

It's not for that long... :P

Lindsay
x

Never have done, always left them downstairs in a crate.  The only pup I've ever had problems with is Anton and I bred him :d  Took me about 4 weeks for him to settle as I used to have to stay up wiht him until he eventually fell asleep.  Don't know whether SWD's are like me and like their sleep at night but not on of my youngsters has woken me up during the night.

Ours are always in a cage in the dog room with the rest of them.  They seem to learn by being with the others that this is sleep time.   I just set the alarm a little earlier than usual to let them out.  Have only ever had piddles for the first night or two then they get used to it and stay clean. I always think that if you get up on regular basis during the night that the dogs get used to piddling then and expect to get out, I have a friend whose dogs all expect to get out at five in morning cos thats what she started them on as puppies, she then sold one ( a 2 year old) to another friend of ours and told her that she had to get out for a pee at five as she just couldnt last any longer than that - the friend who bought her said the bitch yapped for a while about fiveish then settled back down to sleep and was clean and dry at 7.30 when she let all the dogs out.  I think its all about what routine you get them used to.

Hi there

We had our puppies first night a week ago and for the first couple of nights my OH and myself took turns in sleeping in the room with her and our other 2 dogs, so she could get used to the surroundings.  I didn't want her to sleep with us, get used to it and then move her again and upset her routine. 
On the first night we did let her out in the middle but after that the last outing is about 11.30 and we get up about 7am.  There has been a couple of accidents but last night was completely accident free :-)
We had a nightmare with one of our dogs when we did get up in the middle of the night to let him out, he was nearly 18 months old before we could be certain of a dry night

Thanks for all the replies. I might just have to bring him up the stairs for the first few days then (any excuse!!)

Well he's finally here and I've resisited the urge to take him upstairs for his first night sleep (but I'll probably sleep downstairs instead!)  I'm just so pleased with him, he's poo'd on the living room floor and peed in the kitchen just after being taken out 4 times! Typical!

Ahhhhhhhh..... wish I was close enough for a cuddle. :-)  Good girl, for keeping him downstairs, I have never taken a dog upstairs, unless unwell, they soon get into their routine, and much better to have those training poo's and pee's away from your sleeping area, and on an easy clean kitchen or laminate flooring, try to get up often in the night to let him out, tiring I know but oh so worth it, loads and loads of praise for toileting outside and remember to ignore any toileting inside.

Good luck and were all here to help with all those puppy things.